Offlot shoot mute

Q2 numbers flat vs. 2010

Growth in on-location filming in Los Angeles stalled in the second quarter of 2011, basically flat at just 1.1% up over the same period last year.

FilmL.A. said numbers showed “underwhelming” numbers in feature, television and commercials.

Television production dropped 0.7% with 4,024 permitting days vs. 4,052 in 2011. Those stats included a 29.4% decline in the TV sitcom subcategory along with a 12.9% drop in reality TV.

TV pilots and dramas, however, showed an increase over last year at 4.5% and 26.6%, respectively. FilmL.A. noted much of the drama increase stemmed from a heavy reliance by shows including “Hawthorne” and “Sons of Anarchy” on uncertified soundstages for extended periods. Uncertified soundstages refer to converted spaces like warehouses and other spaces not originally designated for filming.

FilmL.A. president Paul Audley attributed lost momentum in TV production to more shows filming out of state.

“As a result, we’re expecting a lackluster second half of the year for TV,” Audley said.At 1,484 permitting days, commercial production showed the steepest decline at 7.5% from this time last year (1,604 days).

On-location feature production increased 4% at 1,604 vs. 1,542. FilmL.A. said last quarter was the first since July 2009 that remained only mildly affected by the state’s film and television tax credit. In 2009, California increased the incentive’s annual allocation for filming to $100 million. Advocates of an extension to the program, set to expire in 2014, hope to convince state senators to approve a five-year extension of the program later this summer.

The webisode/mobisode/podcast category, which covers Internet content, showed a spike in production with 34 permitting days. Org attributed the spike in the category, created in 2008, to fashion advice show “Mango: What Should I Wear.”

“More and more we’re seeing series that were created for and shown on the Web and so we created this category in March ’08 … to try and get a better handle on that category and that type of production,” said FilmL.A. communications director Philip Sokoloski. “It also helps remind people that if they are Web content producers with a commercial purpose in mind, they should be pulling permits to shoot on location.”